Gaming machines or terminals, such as slot machines, video poker machines and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options. Where the available gaming options include a number of competing terminals and the expectation of winning each terminal is roughly the same (or believed to be the same), players are most likely to be attracted to the more entertaining and exciting terminal. As a result, wagering game machine operators strive to employ the most entertaining and exciting machines available, because such machines attract frequent play and provide increased profitability for the operators. Consequently, wagering game machines have added increasingly advanced and sophisticated features over the years in terms of their operational and display capabilities.
For example, modern gaming machines typically include one or more power supplies, video displays, communication or mother boards, currency acceptors, payoff mechanisms, card readers, sound systems, ticket printers and central processing units (CPUs). During extensive use, and due to the fact that many gaming terminals are always “on” even when not being played, the various components of the gaming machine generate significant amounts of heat such that some type of thermal management system is usually required to maintain the components within specified operating temperatures.
One prior approach to thermal management involves the use of fans to direct air onto the components of the gaming machine. Other prior approaches use expensive and complicated water cooling systems. As the sophistication of gaming machines increases (e.g., greater processing power, display, and audio requirements), more efficient, effective, and less costly thermal management systems are required.